The Cricket Advisory Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday appointed former Indian captain Rahul Dravid as the next coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team.

Dravid, who was earlier the coach of the India U-19 and A teams and is currently the head of cricket at National Cricket Academy, was the sole candidate interviewed for the role by the two members of the committee – former India women’s international Sulakshana Naik and former India fast bowler RP Singh, who made his Test debut under Dravid’s captaincy in 2006.

READ: Dravid appointed India head coach, will take charge for New Zealand home series

Dravid officially applied for the role on October 26 and since then, his appointment was a foregone conclusion. It is also understood that Dravid was the only candidate who had applied for the job.

Sources in the BCCI confirmed that the process lasted for nearly half an hour, with Dravid formally discussing his plans for the Indian team. “The protocol was followed and Dravid being the only candidate, was formally interviewed by the CAC about his plan for the future. The decision to appoint him was taken after the interview,” the source said.

Earlier, during the final of the Indian Premier League in Dubai on October 15, the BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah held a lengthy meeting with Dravid, finally pursuing him to take up the role with the senior team.  

Dravid in his role with the NCA and the under-19 and India-A teams has played a pivotal role in nursing talents like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad. Under Dravid’s coaching, India U-19 team clinched the World Cup in 2018.

In July this year, he travelled to Sri Lanka with the Indian team for its limited overs series, while the Test team was in England for the ICC World Test Championship final and the Test series against England.